The Present Disclosure relates, generally, to a connector, and, more particularly, to a board-to-board connector that detects the mating of a first connector and a second connector, and prevents incomplete mating, even when the mating process is for a compact and low-profile connector, by arranging a piezoelectric element for detecting the state of a fixed terminal and elastic terminal when the first connector and the second connector are mated.
In order to electrically connect a pair of parallel boards to each other, connectors such as board-to-board connectors are used. Such connectors are provided on opposing surfaces of a pair of boards such as circuit boards, and are then mated with each other to establish an electrical connection. Reinforcing metal fittings attached to both ends function as locking members to hold the opposing connector in a mated state.
However, the bottom surface of each connector is mounted on a board which is much larger than the connector, and it can be difficult to visually confirm whether two connectors are mated. In recent years, connectors have become even more compact and have a lower profile. These connectors are interposed inside a very narrow space between opposing boards, which makes it even more difficult to determine whether two connectors have been mated properly.
A technique has been proposed to detect whether connectors have been mated properly using a sensor rather than visual confirmation by the operator performing the mating operation. One example is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 5-8880, the content of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
FIG. 13 is a diagram used to explain a conventional board-to-board connector able to detect mating. In FIG. 13, 861 is a plug terminal serving as a terminal for a plug which is one of the connectors, and 961 is a receptacle terminal serving as a terminal for a receptacle which is the other connector. When both connectors are mated, as shown in the drawing, the plug terminal 861 is screwed into the receptacle terminal 961. A piezoelectric element 893 is arranged near the receptacle terminal 961, and the tip of the plug terminal 861 applies pressure to the piezoelectric element 893 when the plug terminal 861 is screwed into the receptacle terminal 961. When the plug terminal 861 applies pressure, the piezoelectric element 893 generates voltage V corresponding to the pressing force. A detection device 897 detects the value of the voltage V, and a light-emitting element 898 emits light when the value of the voltage V is a predetermined value indicating that mating of both connectors has been completed.
However, the plug terminal 861 has to be screwed into the receptacle terminal 961 in conventional connectors, and the connectors are large. Therefore, this technique is difficult to use inside the case of a small electronic device such as a cellphone, personal digital assistant (PDA), or digital camera. Also, because the complete mating of connectors is detected based on the amount of pressing force received by a piezoelectric element 893 when a plug terminal 861 is screwed in, detection accuracy is difficult to achieve.